The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) is the designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Twin Cities Area Transportation Study (TwinCATS) and the Niles-Buchanan-Cass Area Transportation Study (NATS). The SWMPC acts as a liaison between citizens, local government officials, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
An MPO is responsible for transportation planning and decision-making that is cooperative, comprehensive, and continuing that encompasses all modes of transportation (i.e. car, bike, foot, bus, boat, air, rail). As an MPO, the SWMPC is also responsible for distributing state and federal money for transportation projects within TwinCATS and NATS boundaries. Three tools the SWMPC uses to decide where money gets dispersed are the:
Unified Work Program (UWP), which states what the MPO staff will work on for the Fiscal year. TwinCATS UWP and NATS UWP.
Long Range Transportation Plan (LRP), which is a long-term document that lays out the goals of the region and how the MPO plans to meet those goals. TwinCATS LRP and NATS LRP.
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which states what projects have been selected and when they will begin. Projects in the TIP must be identified in the LRP as meeting the goals of the region. TWinCATS TIP and NATS TIP.
MPOs operate under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act - A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), signed into law August 10, 2005 by President George W. Bush.
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Title VI Non-Discrimination Plan
Complaint Form
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, and related statues provide that no person in the US shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability, be excluded from particiaption, in be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discimination under any program or activity, receiving federal financial assistance. The SWMPC received Federal Funding and is required to have a Title VI Non-Discrimiantion Plan that outlines the efforts that SWMPC will undertake to ensure again discrimination on the above mentioned grounds. This plan also outlines the complaint procedures for anyone who feels that they have been discriminated against. For questions regarding this document please contact the Title VI Coordinator K. John Egelhaaf at (269) 925-1137 x 12 or by email at egelhaafj@swmpc.org or write to the SWMPC.
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